Sutliff Tobacco Company Voodoo Queen #523

This has claimed a place in my rotation. The first bowl I smoked of it was off putting; hit with an initial taste of Irish Spring soap, I worried I had two ounces of useless tobacco. I was drinking cold water at the time (preferred drink for new blends), in the middle of a mild afternoon.

Upon revisiting the blend on a cool night with a hot cup of decaf coffee, my experience changed. Any taste of soap was gone; I can only assume it was a rare fluke (perhaps the plastic packaging?). Instead, I was greeted to a warm blend of hardwood smoke—like an oak charred whiskey barrel—a sweet aftertaste of prunes, and a hint of spice in the nose; akin to nutmeg.

It arrived at a perfect moisture level, and I instantly stored it in an 8oz glass mason jar. I may need to moisten it up a bit if it sits longer than a month, but I don’t expect it to last that long. Both smoking experiences were out of my Sherlock style pipe with a medium bowl, using matches to light.

It smoked cool, with no tongue-bite; I tend to smoke at a faster cadence. I had a slight issue with the cut, causing a tighter ball toward the bottom of my pipe. A quick pick later and another match, and I was back in business. The flavors rotated as I smoked the bowl; likely due to the cut and the way it layers inside the bowl. I’m not a stickler for even flavor throughout a smoke.

The room nose was a bit strong for my wife. Not a blend I would take into public, if I wanted to hold on a conversation with non-smokers.

Aftertaste leaves a bit of an oily feel on the tongue and tastes a bit like teriyaki jerky, or maybe light leather. Not bad, and much better with the coffee.

Personal ranking, I would give it a 4/5, with a name like Voodoo Queen, I was expecting a little more exotic flavors; thus the point reduction. But perhaps my expectations were a tad high. It is a queen and not a king, after all. If you’re looking for a unique flavor at a reasonable price, you would be hard pressed to find a better option.